Iranian translator Ebrahim Eqlidi passes away at 76

Culture

September 16, 2024 - 19:12

TEHRAN- Ebrahim Eqlidi, the esteemed translator and researcher known for his work on "One Thousand and One Nights," passed away in Tehran on Sunday following a prolonged illness. He was 76.

Born in 1948 in Eqlid, southern Fars province, Eqlidi held a bachelor's degree in law from Tehran University. He gained significant recognition for his translations and research on "One Thousand and One Nights."

“One Thousand and One Nights” is the story of the Persian king Shahriar who marries a girl each night and the next morning he beheads her to take revenge from his unfaithful wife.

He finally marries Scheherazade, who begins to tell a fascinating story during the night for the king but she does not finish it, so the king keeps her alive to find out the end of the stories.

Over the course of 1001 nights, the king had fallen in love with Scheherazade, so he spared her life and made her his queen.

Eqlidi’s other notable works include translations of “Tales of Ancient Egypt” by Roger Lancelyn Green, "Tales and Legends" by Leo Tolstoy, "The Midnight Museum" by Annie Dalton, "Scottish Folk-tales and Legends" by Barbara Ker Wilson, "The Happy Prince and Other Tales" by Oscar Wilde, “The Emerald City of Oz” by L. Frank Baum, “Indian Tales and Legends” by J. E. B. Gray, "Maigret Stonewalled" by Georges Simenon, "Japanese Tales and Legends" by Helen and William McAlpine, " A Martian Comes to Stay” by Penelope Lively.

Eqlidi was also involved in the translation of political works, including "Fascist Italy" by Alan Cassels and works by Noam Chomsky.